


Sanzo Nightingale (2011)

by JennyB



Series: Advent 2011 [19]
Category: Saiyuki
Genre: Advent Challenge 2011, Angst, Friendship, M/M, Podfic Available, Sick Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-19
Updated: 2011-12-19
Packaged: 2018-01-05 20:47:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1098434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JennyB/pseuds/JennyB
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Genjyo Sanzo versus the Youkai Flu...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sanzo Nightingale (2011)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [helliongoddess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/helliongoddess/gifts).



> Written for Advent Challenge 2011. Prompt: '38 around Christmas or New Year'.
> 
> Podfic (by the lovely Kansouame ♥♥) here: [Take a Listen!](http://www.mediafire.com/?1a59jtw6yb28v3x)

"Sanzo, look out!" Hakkai quickly erected a barrier to keep the flames from roasting the priest to a crisp. He sighed in relief when he saw that he'd arrived just in the nick of time, though he was starting to feel a little battle weary. They'd been fighting this band of youkai for the past several hours, and after battling the day before, and the day before _that_ , it was beginning to take its toll.

"Are you all right?" Sanzo asked gruffly as he took the opportunity to reload his gun, and his eyes narrowed when he saw how pale Hakkai looked. "You're not overdoing it, are you? If you pass out and leave me with just these two idiots, I'll kill you."

Hakkai gave him a tired smile. "I'll be fine, Sanzo. Just please concentrate on not getting burned. I'm a healer, not a miracle worker."

"Tch. Smartass." He drew back the hammer on his pistol. "Okay, Hakkai. Drop it." As soon as the barrier fell, Sanzo was back in the fray, firing bullets at the seemingly endless number of enemies. He smirked when he saw a massive bolt of chi fire past him to take out one entire flank of the youkai battalion, though he frowned a moment later. The blast had been powerful enough, but Hakkai's chi had not only felt wrong, it had _looked_ wrong, too. He glanced over his shoulder to look at the brunet, and his frown deepened. He could see Hakkai preparing for another attack, but there were flecks of black mingled with the usual green-gold energy. "Damn it..." He turned back to the battle and shouted, "Goku, you and Gojyo get out of the way." He pushed up the sleeves of his robe. "I've had enough of this shit."

"What?" Goku shouted back, though his golden eyes widened a moment later when he saw Sanzo press his palms together and start to chant. "Shit, he's doing the Makai Tenjyo!" He grabbed onto Gojyo, and the two of them quickly moved to a safe spot by Hakkai.

When the dust had settled, Sanzo reached into his robes for his cigarettes, and as he walked back to join them, he lit one, his expression almost smug as he exhaled towards the sky.

"You know," Gojyo began as he lit his own cigarette. "If you'd just do the Makai Tenjyo from the start, you'd save us a hell of a lot of time."

Sanzo snorted. "Yeah? Then what the hell would I need you for, you useless kappa?"

"You'd keep me around, Sanzo- _sama_ ," Gojyo drawled as a lazy grin spread across his face. "You wouldn't know what to do with yourself if I wasn't here." His grin widening he dropped his elbow onto Hakkai's shoulder, only to flail clumsily, eyes wide, when he realized his leaning post was no longer there. "Oh shit! Hakkai, are you all right?"

Hakkai, who was currently on his knees on the ground, laughed sheepishly as he ran a slightly trembling hand through his bangs. "I'm all right, Gojyo," he said as he took Goku's offered hand and got back to his feet. "I'm just a little tired, that's all. And you caught me off guard."

Sanzo's eyes narrowed slightly as he smoked his cigarette and watched the exchange. Hakkai being caught off guard was like Goku turning down dessert. It just didn't happen. It wasn't that Hakkai was _lying_ per se - he knew that Hakkai didn't lie - but something wasn't exactly right, either. "You're not going to fall asleep at the wheel and drive us into a ditch, are you?" Sanzo asked as he stubbed out the filter with the toe of his boot.

Hakkai forced a laugh at that, and then slid behind the wheel of Jeep. "It's not that far to the next town," he said.

"...Good," Sanzo replied, and as Jeep trundled off down the road, he turned to gaze out his side of the vehicle, not wanting the others to see that he was concerned.

For a change, Hakkai's 'not that far' was, in fact, just that and twenty minutes later, they rolled up in front of an inn. Sanzo went in to see about rooms, Goku and Gojyo following along after him, and Hakkai grabbed the bags. Laden under their weight, he made his way toward the front desk, and was just in time to hear the innkeeper apologize for not having four singles.

"Fine, we'll take two doubles," Sanzo said.

"Dibs on Hakkai!" Gojyo said.

"Nu uh!" Goku shouted. "You got to stay with Hakkai last time! It's my turn!"

The vein in Sanzo's temple began to throb as he listened to the escalating argument behind him, and as soon as he had the keys in his hand, he turned and gave both a hard swat each with his fan. "Will you two shut the hell up?" he shouted. " _I'm_ rooming with Hakkai, because I'll kill you both if I have to listen to either of you for a second longer." He saw Hakkai standing off to the side, still carrying the bags, and he gave them each another swat for good measure. "And go carry your own shit! He's not your damned porter!"

* * *

Sanzo didn't sleep well that night. He'd been awake for most of it, watching Hakkai. When they'd gotten to the room, the brunet had taken a quick shower, and then gone to bed, and he hadn't stirred once. That in itself bothered Sanzo. He knew what a light sleeper Hakkai was, and that he never slept for more than a few hours at a time. He hoped that it was as Hakkai had said, and that he'd merely been exhausted from days of fighting. After all, Hakkai expended double the amount of energy as the others. However, Sanzo couldn't forget what he'd seen, nor could he shake the feeling that something else was wrong, and shortly before dawn, he'd drifted off into a fitful sleep.

Sanzo awoke a couple hours later to the smell of coffee and the sound of voices chattering animatedly. He sat up, pleased when he saw the empty bed across from him, though he scowled a moment later when he saw Hakkai. The brunet didn't look any better. In fact, Sanzo felt he looked worse - he was even paler than before, and he had dark circles under his eyes. His gaze drifted to the small table that was in the room. Gojyo sat in one of the chairs, his feet up on the table edge, and Goku was in the other, eating some sort of protein bar that Hakkai kept for quick breakfasts (and Saru Snacks). Gojyo had a cigarette between his lips and was talking about some waitress he'd seen, and he leaned back in his chair, his coffee cup outstretched for Hakkai to fill.

Hakkai came around the table, carrying the carafe, and as he poured, he felt Sanzo's eyes on him, and he turned. "Good morning, Sanzo," he greeted, and when he saw the expression on the blond's face, he sighed. "I apologize for not having everything ready to go. I slept in a little this morning and am a little behind. I'm sorry."

Irritably, Sanzo waved off the apology as he reached for a cigarette and lit it. He watched Hakkai flit by and set a cup on the end table for him, and he shifted his gaze from the cup to the brunet. At that distance, he could see that he was sweating a little, and he noticed the tremor in his hands as he poured coffee. "You look like shit, Hakkai," he remarked, and he took care to exhale his smoke away from the other.

Hakkai managed a small smile. "I'll be fine, Sanzo," he said reassuringly. "I'm sure it's nothing."

"Hey, Hakkai? I need some sugar!" Gojyo yelled from across the room, only to yelp in surprise when a bullet just missed his head. "What the hell, Sanzo?"

"Then get off your ass and get it yourself, you lazy cockroach!" Sanzo yelled back, his eyes never leaving Hakkai's. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of a damned conversation here?" The scowl faded slightly as his focus returned to Hakkai. "Nothing. Right." Sanzo took another slow drag off his cigarette. "We're staying for a few more days."

"That's really not necessary, Sanzo," Hakkai said, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment as they often did when he was fussed over. "I'm...I'm--" A strange look crossed his face. "I don't feel well at all." He straightened, took a step, and then blacked out.

"Shit..." Sanzo was able to catch him before he hit the floor, and given Hakkai's slight frame, it wasn't much effort to move him the couple of feet to put him back in his bed.

"Sanzo, is he okay?" Goku asked as he got to his feet.

"What's wrong with him?" Gojyo added. "I'm calling a doctor."

Sanzo stood and turned to face the other two. "He'll be fine. Just shut up and get out."

"But Hakkai's our friend, too!" Goku protested. "We wanna help!"

"You've done enough, what with making him wait on you hand and foot. Didn't you even _see_ how he looked this morning?" Sanzo said.

"He _said_ he was fine, Sanzo," Goku mumbled.

"Yeah, and it's not like he hasn't been at your beck and call either, Sanzo!" Gojyo added as he pointed to the full coffee cup on the end table.

Sanzo snorted. "Hakkai _always_ says he's fine, even when he isn't. And I didn't ask him for anything, unlike a certain loud-mouthed kappa. Now get out, or I'll shoot you both."

"Hey, you don't have a monopoly on Hakkai," Gojyo said indignantly.

Sanzo levelled his revolver at the redhead. "No, but I have leverage. And he doesn't need you two and your constant bullshit and bickering. Besides, he's my roommate, so he's my problem."

Gojyo and Goku edged towards the door. "Are you saying that you'd look after me if I was the one lying there?" Gojyo asked as he nodded towards Hakkai's bed.

Sanzo's eyes narrowed. "...Yeah. That's what I'm saying."

"You're so full of shit," Gojyo argued. "You'd shaft me off onto Hakkai and then sit and read the paper."

"Out!" Sanzo shouted, and he emphasized his point by firing two bullets at them. "And stay the hell out," he said as he slammed and locked the door behind them. For several long moments he stood in front of the closed door, and then he exhaled heavily and returned to Hakkai's bedside. He looked down at the other, and ran a hand through his bangs in agitation. He didn't know why he'd volunteered to play caregiver, but after all his bravado he couldn't very well turn the job over to Goku or Gojyo - especially not Gojyo. "Fuck..." He sat down on the edge of Hakkai's bed and looked over at him. "If you'd just told me you weren't feeling well instead of pretending you were fine." He shook his head and reached for his coffee, wondering if Hakkai really believed he was that selfish to expect him to push on regardless. He finished the cup, and then looked at Hakkai. He could see that he was shaking, but also that he was now sweating rather profusely. He touched the back of his hand to Hakkai's forehead, and gritted his teeth. The brunet was running one hell of a fever. 

He pulled Hakkai's blankets up over him, though he did go get a facecloth from the bathroom. He set the cloth on Hakkai's forehead, and then dragged a chair to his bedside, and waited. A sense of relief washed over him when, after a few minutes, he saw a glimmer of green from beneath Hakkai's eyelids.

Hakkai tried to open his eyes fully, but he winced in pain from the light, and the subsequent throb of his head, and he let them fall half-closed before he turned his head a little. "I'm terribly sorry for all of this," he croaked, not saying anything else as his body was wracked with a series of harsh, barking coughs.

"Don't worry about it. I'll make you pay for it later," he said with a smirk, though that faded quickly as Hakkai continued to cough. When he'd quieted down some, Sanzo turned the cloth over. "You still look like shit." He was pleased when he saw the resultant small smile and he fell silent then so Hakkai could rest, occasionally remoistening the cloth. He dozed when Hakkai did, though he woke every time the brunet fell into one of his coughing fits. In the early afternoon, Sanzo started noticing the changes in Hakkai. He'd woken from a light doze and noticed the faint youkai markings on Hakkai's cheek. At first, he thought it was just the way the light was shadowing his skin, but when he brushed his thumb over it, he saw that they moved with his touch. "What the hell?"

He heard a knock at the door, and after making sure Hakkai was still sleeping, he went to answer it. "I thought I told you two idiots to stay the hell away," he said as he opened the door, his revolver at the ready. His eyes narrowed slightly when he saw an unknown man standing there. "State your business," Sanzo said, not bothering to lower his weapon.

The man looked surprised, and he held his hands up in front of him in what he hoped was a non-threatening gesture. "I'm Doctor Chow. Mister Sha sent for me?"

"Did he?" Sanzo said with a snort. His eyes drifted downward, and he saw the black medical bag, returning to the doctor a moment later. "Fine." He stood aside to let the man in, but he didn't holster the revolver.

Doctor Chow gave Sanzo a small bow, and he crossed the room to where Hakkai lay. "I'm sorry for taking so long to get here. It's been a busy morning, and my office is outside the village."

"You're not from the village?" Sanzo asked.

"No, I'm not. I prefer the way of life out in the country. Ah, I see..." He examined Hakkai for a moment, and then nodded. "It looks like your friend has the Youkai Flu." Doctor Chow reached into his bag for a couple of small ampoules, a mortar and pestle, and some empty vials. He glanced sidelong at Sanzo as he began to mix up a medicine. "Don't worry. I'm a youkai doctor." He saw Sanzo's surprise, and he smiled. "I'm not youkai, but I've trained to treat them. They have a little different physiology from humans, you know. They heal best under the care of a youkai doctor."

Sanzo felt slightly embarrassed, and he looked away under the guise of finding his cigarettes. "I know that," he snapped as he lit one up, though to be honest, he didn't really think of them as that different.

Doctor Chow nodded. "Not a lot of people approve of my choice. A human wanting to treat youkai? It's practically unheard of." He smiled as he handed Sanzo two vials. "But then, I guess a priest travelling with youkai is practically unheard of, too. Okay, give him half a vial every twelve hours until it's gone. He can have it in water if he wants. You've done well in treating his fever, but the next couple of days are going to be... _interesting_ for you if you've never experienced this before." He smirked. "Especially after he's had his first dose. But I'm sure you'll manage. You do seem to care about your friend."

"He's not my--" Sanzo cut himself off, and he glanced at Hakkai. "...Yeah."

* * *

' _Interesting_ ' had been putting it mildly. Goku never got sick, and Sanzo couldn't give a rat's ass about Gojyo's general state of health, so seeing Hakkai suffering through the Youkai Flu was something he'd never witnessed before, and didn't particularly relish the idea of ever going through it again. Once his fever had broken shortly after the first dose, more of the youkai side had come to the surface. Hakkai's markings had been readily visible, and his fingernails had definitely turned more talon-like. His eyes hadn't changed completely, but the pupils were cat-like, and his good eye did have a slight golden cast to it.

Sanzo hadn't known what else to expect, but he'd found he was grossly unprepared. For one thing, he hadn't expected that all of Hakkai's more _charming_ personality traits would surface. To anyone who'd ever called Sanzo surly or churlish, the blond looked like a veritable ray of sunshine next to Hakkai. On more than one occasion, Sanzo had thought long and hard about simply shooting the brunet and being done with it, but even when Hakkai was at his absolute worst, Sanzo couldn't bring himself to even draw his weapon. As he looked into the slightly mismatched cat-eyes and endured the tired - yet obnoxiously taunting - sneers, he'd known that it was just the sickness playing its course. Besides, Hakkai had pretty much guaranteed that Gojyo and Goku would stay away, and he couldn't be angry about that! When they'd popped by to say hello, and had then started bickering, he'd snarled angrily at them and nearly taken off Gojyo's head with a well-thrown dinner plate. 

And while Hakkai's moodiness was beyond insufferable, Sanzo did understand why the brunet would be miserable. The medicine the doctor had prepared smelled revolting, and Sanzo could only imagine how bad it tasted. If the expression Hakkai wore was anything to go by, Sanzo was fairly certain he was getting the better end of the deal. But that wasn't the worst of Hakkai's suffering. The medicine made him nauseous, and within an hour of taking it, he was guaranteed to have his head in a pail and throwing up whatever happened to be in his stomach. Sanzo had been completely unprepared for _that_. Even at his angriest, Sanzo had never really heard Hakkai raise his voice all that much, but he was probably the noisiest vomiter he'd ever met. It still made him shudder to think about it.

It had been a long couple of days, but it was nearly over. Hakkai had had his last dose a while ago, and was currently brushing his teeth over his bucket. When he finished, Sanzo would put it out in the hallway. The blond watched him silently, and he noted that his eyes were back to normal, and the vine markings had just about faded away. He handed the brunet a towel once he'd spit, and then he threw the cloth into the bucket and grasped the handle to take it away. He froze when Hakkai's hand came up, lightning fast, and wrapped around his wrist. The claws were much shorter now, but Sanzo was still aware of how they felt against his skin. "Weren't you finished?" he asked. "Or are you planning on hanging onto it for posterity?"

Hakkai's eyes narrowed and he growled softly, though his expression relaxed after a moment. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it again, his brow furrowing as he looked down at his blanket. "Sanzo? I...just wanted to say thank you." When Sanzo started to speak, he cut him off with another warning growl. "Yes, I do have to say it," he said, knowing that the blond had been prepared to dismiss his gratitude. "What you've done over the past few days...it's over and above what I would have expected anyone to have done for me, and I know I've certainly not made it easy for you." He let his hand slip from Sanzo's wrist, and he threaded his fingers together in his lap.

Sanzo glanced down at the bucket, and then to Hakkai, and he snorted in amusement. "Yeah, well..." Taking advantage of the moment, he took the opportunity to get rid of the pail. He returned to his chair and lit a cigarette. "How are you feeling?"

Hakkai watched the smoke curl towards the ceiling with slightly narrowed eyes, though he did give Sanzo a small smile. "Maybe...seventy per cent?"

Sanzo nodded. "That sounds about right. By tomorrow, you should be almost back to yourself." He finished his cigarette and stubbed the remnants out in the ashtray. "That said, you'd better get some rest." He reached for the light, only to arch a brow when Hakkai again grabbed his wrist. "Now what?"

"Why?" He rolled his eyes when Sanzo feigned ignorance. "You could easily have let Gojyo care for me, too. You could have left me in the hands of the doctor. You didn't have to be here, Sanzo, and certainly not all the time. I'm sure you knew it would be a horrible task, and if you didn't you had to realize at the height of my sickness. So then, all things considered, you _wanted_ to do this. My question is why."

Sanzo sat back down. "Fuck, Hakkai, you're seriously going to start this crap now?" He saw the cool, unwavering glare and he snorted in agitation, even as he gave a futile tug with his wrist. "Tch. You're a pain in my ass."

"That seems like a counterintuitive reason."

"Leave it alone, Hakkai."

"No."

"Fine. Because we're...friends."

Hakkai smirked as he arched a brow. "Friends?"

"Bastard. You're feeling better than you're letting on! You know what I meant and you're just screwing with me now!" He reached for his gun, but Hakkai made sure it was just past arm's length. He felt Hakkai tug him back, and he rounded, his fist coming up out of reflex. He wasn't really surprised when Hakkai not only blocked, but caught his fist - though he did renew his struggle.

"Hn." Hakkai, now holding Sanzo's hands so that they were practically nose to nose, smiled wickedly, the faintest trace of the suppressed darkness lingering in his gaze. "Well then," he murmured as he released his hold, "I'm glad we're friends." He settled down against the pillow, and left enough space for Sanzo, should he decide to join him.

For a long time, Sanzo just sat there on the edge of the bed. Eventually, he turned onto his side, facing away from Hakkai, and a small smile came unbidden as he drifted off into his first restful sleep in days. He was sure Hakkai knew he was glad, too.


End file.
